Railroad cattle-guard



(No Model.)

G; W. PARKS & Z. 0. MATHES.

RAILROAD CATTLE GUARD.

N0. 367,437. Patented Aug. 2, 1887.-

- mw Ira/anion 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \V. PARKS AND ZAOKARIAI-I O. MATHES, OF SCOTTSBURG, INDIANA.

RAILROAD CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,437, dated August 2, 1887 Application filed September 16, 1856. Serial 130.213.745.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE \V. PARKS and ZAOKARIAH C. Marries, bot-h citizens of the United States, residing at Scottsburg, in the county of Scott and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Cattle-Guards, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to construct and use the same.

Our invention is an improvement in cattleguards, made by removing a portion of the road-bed of a railway to form a pit beneath the track, at the bottom of which pit a transverse timber is laid at each end. These timbers are called the mudsills, and form the base of the guard. Upon the mud-sills are placed timbers running lengthwise of the track, one beneath each rail, which are known as stringers. On these stringers rest the ties which receive the rails, and the whole forms the cattleguard now in common use. The bottom of the pit being generally below the freezing-point, such guards are very troublesome and dangerous in winter. The roadhed freezes at each end of the pit, while the earth under the mud-sills does not freeze. This lifts the rails from the ties, so that they are left without support for the whole length of the guard. The timbers may sometimes be raised up beneath them by a pry; but as the ends of the stringers freeze fast it is very difficult, if not impossible, to do this when the frost is severe. It is therefore often necessary to use blocks under the rails. These, however, are unsafe, as they often work out, leaving the rails again unsupported. Vhen the frost disappears, the track at both ends of the pit sinks, while that over the guard which has been raised or blocked remains high, and the rails are thus lifted off the ties for some distance at each end of the pit. In consequence they frequently spring or are broken, and this often causes the wreck of trains. WVe remedy these evils by making our guard adjustable by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved cattle-guard. Fig. 2 is a transverse (No model.)

section thereof, taken on lineXX, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same on line 3 y, Fig. 2. p

In our improved guard A are the mud-sills and B are the stringers. These timbers are arranged in the pit in the common way. Upon the upper surface of stringers B is placed a series of screws,O. The heads 0 of these screws are made in the form of plates, and by these heads or plates the screws are made fast to said stringers. Nuts 0 are placed upon the screws, and resting. upon the nuts is a second series of stringers, B, the ends of screws 0 passing into recesses made therein. Perforated plates 1) are interposed between the nuts 0 andth'e lower surface of stringers B, these plates being firmly secured to said stringers. The ties D rest upon this second series of stringers, and the rails F are laid in the usual manner upon the ties.

By the use of a wrench a single man can readily turn nuts 0 to raise or lower stringers D, as may from to time be required, so that they may always properly support the track.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure b Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a railway cattleguard, of a second pair of stringers placed beneath the stringers which supportthe ties, and the means interposed between the upper and lower stringers for adjusting the upper stringers to afford constant support to the rails, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a railway cattleguard, of a second pair of stringers placed beneath the stringers which support the ties, a series of screws secured on the upper surface of the lower stringers, the ends ofwhich enter recesses in the upperstringers, and nuts working upon said screws to regulate the distance between said upper and lower stringers as may be required to afford constant support to the rails, substantially as described.

GEORGE W'. PARKS. ZAGKARIAH (3. MATHES. \Vitnesses:

J. W. J. SMITH, \VILLLIM It. STOUT. 

